Peggy Lowe

For a lot of journalists, 2017 was all about keeping up. A faster and faster news cycle demands more speed and more accuracy, and media consumers have never been more skeptical. Today, theMediaCritics discuss how journalists have covered the big stories of the last year, and why mistrust is so common among audiences.

Earlier this year, Karen Fuller, a former news anchor at KCTV-5, sued the station's owner, alleging the company created an age-ceiling for female anchors. Today, our Media Critics ask: Why is it common to have older newsmen on television but rare to see women anchors of a similar age?

President Trump has referred to major media outlets such as The New York Times and CNN as "the enemy of the American people." But what does that unwanted title mean for journalists, and journalism itself, moving forward? We bring in the Media Critics to answer that one. Also, should a news outlet assign reporters based on race? Find out what our panel thinks about the recent lawsuit between a local reporter and television news station involving that very issue.

The president's lambasting of certain outlets as "fake news" has strained relations between the executive branch and the Fourth Estate. Today, the Media Critics discuss whether or not the journalism playbook should be rewritten to cover an unprecedented administration.

With the presidential campaigns reaching a fever pitch, the Media Critics discuss whether or not journalists hold Hillary Clinton to a different standard than Donald Trump, and if the press is giving political "spin" the same importance as evidence-based facts. Then, Bill Brownlee introduces Various Blonde in this week's Local Listen.

Water is life — you drink it, cook with it and even shower in it — but unregulated runoff from farms and business can pose a threat to keeping it clean. A new series from Harvest Public Media, based at KCUR, looks at the conditions of water in Kansas City and throughout the Midwest.